Appropriations

While the Senate was busy with healthcare yesterday, on the other side of the Capitol, the House took up a “minibus” spending package for FY2018, consisting of four bills: Defense, Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction. The House Republicans combined these four bills as a defense-oriented package, after an initial conversation to pull together…

On Wednesday, the House approved rules that will govern the floor debate for a four-bill spending package for FY2018. The House leadership earlier this week decided to combine four of the appropriations bills for next year– the Legislative Branch, Military Construction, Energy and Water, and Defense– into a single legislative package and move them together through…

The House Rules Committee started meeting tonight to go over which of the more than 300 amendments would be made in order during the floor consideration of a multi-bill spending package when it hits the House floor later this week. The “minibus” currently under consideration includes four of the 12 FY2018 spending bills: Defense, Energy…

Both House Appropriations and Budget Committees are expected to be busy today. The Budget Committee is scheduled to take up its FY2018 budget resolution today and the committee action is expected to last for most of the day. While the budget resolution is not law, it will serve as a fiscal blueprint for FY2018. Among the…

The House Republican leadership this week is planning to check with their rank-and-file members on their level of receptivity to idea of moving a massive 12-bill omnibus appropriations package for the upcoming FY2018 before the August recess. The notion of combining all 12 annual spending measures for FY2018 and moving them together as a piece of…

The 12 individuals appropriations bills for FY2018 in the House have all now been cleared by their respective subcommittees and six have been approved by the full Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, one bill has seen action on the other side of the Capitol. While this may signal some movement on this front, the total amount of…

After its July Fourth recess, Congress returns to Washington for three weeks before leaving town for a scheduled five-week August recess. The Senate Republicans are still trying to address intra-party differences on a “repeal and replace” healthcare bill. In the House, the Appropriations Committee continues to press forward on its versions of FY2018 spending bills even…

Despite having no budget resolution and discretionary spending levels, the House and Senate Appropriations committees have decided to move forward with crafting draft bills. Lawmakers of both parties and in both chambers have predicted the need for another stopgap measure to extend current funding levels when FY 2018 begins on October 1, 2017. Without any budget…

The House and Senate are in recess to observe Memorial Day this week. Members returned to their home districts to work as efforts continue behind the scenes in DC on health care and tax reform. Health care continues to be a big unknown in the Senate. According to the most recent impact analysis released by the Congressional…

DC typically has a strong law enforcement presence, and now, officers are everywhere on the Hill today because it’s National Police Week and the 36th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service is today on the West Front of the Capitol. The Senate continues to consider nominations. Up first, Jeffrey Rosen is Trump’s pick to be Deputy Secretary of…